Surveillance
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: Repost - Set after Season2Ep1 - Annie and Auggie are assigned to the mobile van for some roving surveillance for a week.


Chapter 1

Annie arrived at work promptly Monday morning, her favorite blue pantsuit pressed to within an inch of its life, her matching light blue shirt flared out at the collar. Her first case since she'd came back after returning home from Sri Lanka, by way of Guam and Walter Reed, was a success, thanks to her.

She hoped her hard work did its job in showing Joan she was ready to move on. The stack of foreign newspapers and box of highlighters Joan had tried to pawn off on her last week still sat at her desk, though. She ignored them. She knew they were busy work – necessary – but busy work. Annie had never been a desk job type of person, and the type of work whose only hazard were paper cuts bored her to death.

As she settled into her chair and logged into her computer, her elbow bumped into the stack. She had an urge to cock her arm and knock them all to the floor, but she resisted it. They'd soon find their way to someone else's desk, if she had anything to do with it.

Joan stood in her office, looking through her glass wall out across the hustling lower level that was her department. One blonde head stood out, in the middle, typing on her computer, ignoring the stack of work that'd been on her desk since last week. Joan smirked. She had hoped that Annie would take the busy work and cool down for at least the week it would take her to get through it, but she knew deep down it wouldn't work.

Not that she'd tell Annie that. In the short amount of time she'd known the young officer, she learned one thing – on the first day of her work, no less. Annie was relentless and smart. She'd tried firing her that day – oh, she deserved it – but when she'd come back, the FBI hot on her heels, with proof that Stas was still alive, Joan knew Annie would fit right in.

But now? Now, she was raw, on edge, and in the world of the CIA, that equaled dangerous. Annie had proven it by coming to her house asking about Ben Mercer. What did Annie hope to prove by doing that, she thought. Did she really believe Joan would suddenly act like her best friend instead of her boss and spill everything she knew?

Joan shook her head. No, Annie wasn't ready yet. It was only with the help from Auggie and Jai that she'd succeeded with her latest mission by the skin of her teeth. True, a win was a win, but Joan would prefer her department's wins come smoother and with less emotion. Annie still needed at least two weeks to decompress. Joan would give her more time, but two weeks was all she could spare.

So, newspaper tracking was out of the question, Joan thought, turning back to her desk. Time for Plan B.

On her way back from the food court's Starbucks, Annie dropped off two of them, leaving Auggie's for last so she could have a chat with him. He'd been busy talking on the phone, so she sat the container on his desk with a quick tap on his shoulder.

Swinging back out of tech ops, she turned to her desk, her step faltering slightly when she noticed a couple of things. One, the stack of newspapers were gone, and two, Jai Wilcox sat at his desk opposite hers. She'd last seen him at Walter Reed with Ben, and that was a couple of weeks ago.

The water cooler talk had it on good authority that Jai's temporary assignment had come to an end. So what was he still doing here? She sat down at her desk and looked over to him, an easy smile on her face, but Jai didn't seem to notice. The scowl on his face, though, had her smile sliding away.

Then, as he stood and quickly walked away, Annie frowned, wondering what crawled up his butt and died. No business of hers, she guessed. Jai had proved in the past that he was the best at keeping secrets, and even if she asked, he wouldn't confide in her.

Not that it mattered to her at the moment, though. The stack of papers were gone, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing else was placed on her desk in its place, though, so she busied herself reading e-mails and reports.

A few hours later, she still hadn't heard from Joan about a new mission, and she was beginning to get antsy. She was about to get up and ask Auggie if he had any inside information when the doorway to Tech Ops opened, and he walked out, headed right for her.

"Annie?"

"Auggie?"

Auggie tilted his head at her mocking, refusing to be baited. He did allow the smile to come through, though. "Just got off the phone with Joan. She needs to talk to us."

Annie nearly jumped out of her chair at his words. "Finally, I've been going crazy here waiting for something to do."

"It's only noon," Auggie said, cocking his elbow out for her to take. "If I said patience was a virtue, would you slap me?"

"Probably. But I didn't sign onto this job to become a desk jockey, you know."

Auggie blinked at her assessment, wondering if she knew how much her words stung, though he knew they weren't aimed at him. He knew that Joan had wanted to keep Annie in-house for a while, to decompress after Sri Lanka. He also knew that Ben was, once again, off the radar. If he hadn't found out for himself, he'd know by Annie's demeanor. She'd tried to keep up a brave front, but he knew she was hurting.

"You can still save the world without being out in it," he said, as they walked down the hallway to Joan's office.

Annie frowned and bit her tongue. Maybe he could, she thought. Auggie knew how much she loved the field work. He loved it, too, given how he'd been allowed out of the office to help on her last case. Auggie came to life in the field, and as much as she wanted to be out in the field, she wished the same for him.

"After you," Auggie said, opening the door to let Annie pass in, then walking in himself.

"Please, have a seat," Joan said, motioning to the two chairs in front of her desk. She watched with practiced eyes as Annie automatically led Auggie to the chair on the right, placing his hand on the back of it before sitting down herself. They made quite a team, she thought. How that happened so naturally was one of the best turns of fortune to happen in her department in years.

Normally officers were teamed up because of necessity, and she crossed her fingers hoping that they'd remain professional and work as a team. Auggie Anderson and Annie Walker, though, found each other. The original assessment by most in the department was base, thinking that they were just together on a strictly sexual basis, was quickly proved wrong. As far as Joan knew, they were just friends. Auggie looked out for Annie, and Annie drew Auggie out of himself. The perfect team.

At the moment her needs for them were completely separate, but, she decided, could be completed in one fell swoop. Annie needed some downtime whether she wanted it or not. Auggie's eventual move back to field status needed to be tested out in a more controlled manner.

"I've brought both of you in here because something's come up that I'll need your help with," she began. At once, she noted that Annie sat up in her seat, and she continued, "Apart from your busting in on a party because you mistook a champagne pop for a gunshot, the mobile van surveillance worked out well. We're instituting it again."

This time, she noted Auggie perking up. Ahh, she's got them both, Joan thought. This'll be easier than I thought. "Here's the files. You'll be compiling information – anything and everything you hear and see – at several destinations. The exact places and itinerary are listed in the files."

Joan waited a few moments as they both read over the summary listed on their individual files. "Any questions?"

Annie flipped through the file to the itinerary, her eyes widening as she sat how extensive it was. "Two weeks? Why so long?"

"Because," Joan said, adopting her well-used 'how dare you question me' tone and attitude, "it's how long the operation requires. This is a deep, undercover operation. Anything that you two can dig up and provide would be beneficial."

"And what would –" Annie started to say before Auggie not-so-subtly cleared his throat. She looked over at him and saw his set jaw and slight shaking of his head.

"Annie?" Joan prompted.

"Nothing, sorry."

Joan nodded, "You'll start tomorrow. Dismissed."

Annie's head was full of questions, the foremost being why, but given Auggie's surreptitious shushing of her earlier, she held her tongue and followed him out of the office. He kept hold of her elbow as they walked and steered her into his office. Once they were behind the closed door, he let go of her, waiting for the questions to start.

"Okay, Auggie, any reason why you felt the need to shush me in front of our boss?" Annie said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I was about to ask you something similar, mainly, why you were questioning her orders to begin with," Auggie retorted, turning and leaning against his desk.

"Because–" Annie started, then realizing her tone was more angry than she wanted it to be, lowered her voice. "Because two weeks of surveillance looks a lot like busy work."

"Not every mission is going to end with gunfire, Annie," Auggie said. "Or champagne," he added with a smirk.

Annie rolled her eyes, "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"Maybe."

"Auggie, I know every mission doesn't end with a 'bang,' but right now, I'm just – I want more."

"And Joan knows that."

"Wait a minute, you think –"

"No, I know," Auggie said, walking around his desk to sit in his chair. "You need to take it easy. And not just because of –" Auggie sighed. "It's protocol, Annie. Nothing personal. Every high profile, heart-pounding mission that ends with an officer getting out by the skin of his or her teeth is followed up by an easier assignment, if possible. There's less burnout that way."

Auggie hoped his explanation, which was at least half truthful, would allay her fears that she was being unfairly targeted. He knew the reason for Joan's actions. If she hadn't done something, he'd have stepped in, as well. He could tell last week that Annie was more high-strung, more emotional than normal. She needed time. Time to think things through and get back to normal.

"All right," Annie said with a sigh. "I understand." Then as Auggie cocked an eyebrow, she added, "I don't agree, but I guess there's nothing I can do about it, huh?"

Auggie shook his head.

"Okay, then. Two weeks in a surveillance van," Annie said. "Guess it beats getting paper cuts from newspapers."

"That's the spirit," Auggie said. "Oh, by the way, thanks for the coffee earlier."

"No problem," Annie said, letting herself out of the office. "Tomorrow, you're buying."

A/N Surveillance is set strictly after "Begin the Begin," Season2 Ep1.

Chapter 2

Auggie slid into his office a half hour ahead of time, wanting to go through e-mail and dole out assignments to the rest of his crew while he's out of the building for the next couple of weeks. He'd be checking in daily, but once out in the field, he didn't want to have to keep checking in on his team.

Ever since Joan had given him the green light to do more work outside the confines of the office, he'd barely been able to think of anything else. He kept it together, though, at least on the outside. On the inside, he was already planning the day when he'd say good-bye to the rest of the support team and join the rest of the suits out in the bullpen.

His office door slid open, and he turned at the sound. "Joan, here to send me off?"

"Oh, sorry, Auggie, I left the flowers at home," Joan quipped. "I am here to tell you that the van is ready and waiting for you and Annie down in the garage. I'd like it back in the same condition it's in now, please."

Auggie smirked, "As you wish, Joan."

"You're in an awfully good mood for someone who's going to be holed up in a van for two months," she said.

"Yeah, but I'll be out of here," he countered.

"True. You up on the file?"

Auggie nodded, "Yep, fairly straightforward. We've caught some chatter that terrorist cells are ramping up in the area. We're to travel to those areas, sit and listen."

"And report back on what you find," Joan amended. "This is strictly surveillance."

"Understood, Joan. Whatever happens, we never leave the van."

"Just make sure your partner understands that," Joan said. "I'm surprised you let her do it the first time."

Auggie blinked, thinking back to last week when they'd heard those loud popping sounds, and Annie immediately jumped up and tried to scramble over his lap to get to the door. He'd tried to stop her, but in her haste, she'd straddled his legs, and his hands hit her hips to stall her. Auggie had found himself on the receiving end of an inadvertent lap dance, and though he heard words coming out of his mouth, all coherent thoughts of pulling rank fled as she refused to sit still. And then she was gone.

"What can I say? She took me by surprise," Auggie said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Uh-huh," Joan said, not quite convinced. "Just get the job done."

Auggie stood against the open side door of the van, waiting for Annie to arrive. True to his promise, he'd gotten coffee for the both of them, large ones to last through the first day's operation. He'd been itching to get out of the office for days now, and wished Annie would hurry up.

Soon enough, he heard her steps across the hard concrete.

"Hey, Auggie. Sorry I was late."

"No problem," Auggie said with a wide smile. "Ready to go?"

"Sure," she said, climbing into the driver's seat. Auggie clambered into the passenger's seat and swiftly buckled his seatbelt. "You seem awfully excited for a man who's about to spend two weeks sitting in an airless van."

"It's an operation, Annie, just like any other," he reminded her.

Annie huffed and put the van into gear. She set the first address into the GPS system and headed out. "So what exactly are we supposed to be listening for?"

"Anything and everything," Auggie replied. "The chatter is fairly reliable."

Silence settled betweent he two of them, and Annie let her mind wander as she drove along. Yesterday, she'd been chomping at the bit to get sent somewhere, but now as the two weeks loomed ahead of her, she almost felt grateful for Joan's forethought. Maybe Auggie was right, and she needed to cool off for a bit. She hadn't had more than three days in a row where she hadn't been shot at or gotten into a fight or had to sleep on a plane.

Plus, she thought, stealing a glance over at Auggie, the company would be pleasant. She couldn't imagine being given this assignment with anyone else. All the other support staff were nice enough, but she wasn't close friends with any of them, and more than a few hours alone with them? Not enjoyable.

No, she'd enjoy herself as much as possible over the coming days, she thought. The surveillance work would keep her mind occupied, and she'd concentrate on resting.

Auggie noted the silence that had settled between them and wondered at it. Usually Annie was a chatterbox, especially on missions, as she thought out loud. He wondered if she was silently plotting her escape. If she did jump out of the van at the first hint of some wrongdoing, he wasn't sure he'd be fast enough to catch her. He was wondering about the possibility of handcuffing himself to her when he heard her sigh.

"Don't even think about it."

Annie turned her head to him, picking up her coffee to take a long drink. "Don't even think about doing what?"

Auggie shook his head. "No more busting out of the van any time you think someone's in trouble. We're here to listen and report, that's all."

"Auggie, come on. I thought she was getting shot at."

"And nearly blew our cover," he reminded her.

"Whatever," Annie said. "Anyway, we're here. Let's get set up."

A few hours later, Annie swung back and forth in her chair in the darkened berth of the surveillance van. Auggie beside her was busy listening, as he had been since they'd crawled back here. His headphones set firmly over his ears, his fingers flying over the keyboard and Braille reader, alternating between them with ease.

Given the low level of the chatter intel, they were to just scan for any frequency – cellphone, wifi, or just loud conversation – record it and report it. If the suspicions proved true, a search warrant would be obtained to implant more efficient bugs.

Leaning forward, she tapped Auggie on the shoulder. "Hear anything yet?"

"Wow, that's the equivalent of 'are we there yet' in the world of surveillance, you do know that, don't you?"

"Come on, Auggie."

"Grab a pair of headphones and listen in, if you want," Auggie said.

"Maybe later."

Auggie shrugged and resumed his scanning. He'd succeeded in the short amount of time to pick up some signals, and he was busy documenting their source for more review later. A new sound came through, and he strained to pinpoint it. After turning his head to the side, he realized the sound didn't come through his headphones. He slid them off. A small squeak-squeak was emanating from his left.

He frowned as he realized it was Annie's chair. He shot out his hand, grasping what he believed to be the chair arm, but coming in contact with her arm instead.

"What?" Annie asked.

"Please don't make any noise."

Annie sighed, "How about we take a break?"

"If we do, will you promise to be quiet for the rest of the day?"

Annie frowned at his somewhat annoying tone and snagged the bag of chicken wraps she'd brought for their lunch. She handed him his and unwrapped hers, propping her bare feet up on the desk in front of her as she ate.

"So, going to tell me what's on your mind?"

Annie stopped mid-chew, but then finished and swallowed before answering, "What makes you think something's on my mind?"

"Because."

"Huh, who's being juvenile now?"

"Annie."

She didn't reply, and Auggie shook his head. He had looked forward to this time alone with Annie, being out in the field, working his tech magic. But if she was going to spend the entire time moaning and groaning and refusing to talk to him, it'd make for a very strained fortnight.

He sat his lunch down and turned in his chair toward her. He'd heard her put her feet up on the desk, so he started there, grabbing her ankles and placing her feet back on the floor. She protested a bit, but he didn't stop, grabbing the chair handles and turning her towards him.

He used the leverage he had to pull her to him, knocking their knees together a bit until he knew they were completely face-to-face. Never letting go of her chair, effectively blocking any type of exit she'd want to try, he said, "Something's on your mind. I can tell. Please, for the sake of both of our sanities, tell me what's going on."

Annie bristled a bit at his high-handedness, but relented after a few seconds. In the dim light of the van's interior, she could make out the concern in his face. She'd loved to share what she'd been thinking about for the past few days with him, but any other time she'd mentioned Ben to him, he'd get that look on his face. The one that said he didn't want to know and didn't want to hear about it.

He was so close, too, as he leaned over her, his hands firmly grasping the arms of her chair, and their legs nearly tangled. "I'll tell you, but you've got to promise me you'll listen."

"Annie, when have I ever not –"

"Just promise me."

Auggie nodded.

"Ben's gone."

Auggie waited for her to say something more, and when she didn't, he prompted, "Yes, he's gone. I know."

"You know? Do you know where he went? Did he leave by himself, or has the agency pulled him back in?"

"Annie, I –"

"No," she said, placing her hands on his to keep him from shrinking back. "Don't do that, Auggie. Don't pull all that 'need to know' crap on me. Tell me what you know."

"Why?" Auggie asked.

"Why what?"

"Why do you need to know? There's only two answers that could apply here, Annie. One, he's gone because he wanted to be gone, or two, he's gone because the CIA wants him to be gone. Which one would give you more comfort?"

Auggie could swear he felt her flinch away from him, even as her grip on his hands stayed. He hated saying these things to her, but this argument had been building up for a week now. Even if he hadn't heard that Ben had become a ghost again, he'd know it from her demeanor. Almost to the hour, she'd gone from a bouncy, full-of-life, happy woman to a questioning, sad, apprehensive one.

"Well, Annie?"

He could almost hear her thinking, the tension in the small space between them growing thicker. After a few more seconds, he hung his head. He so hoped she'd use her past memories of being hurt by this guy to shake off his latest disappearing act, but it seemed Annie would forever be beating herself against the rock that was Ben Mercer, oblivious to the pain it inflicted.

He opened his mouth to apologize, to tell her he truly didn't know anymore than she did, and he's sorry that her heart got broken again, when he heard it. Something like a sniff, but he wasn't sure. When it came again, he knew, and his heart went out to her.

"Annie."

That last one did it, that breath of her name, and Annie crumbled. She'd been holding it in for days now, trying to tell herself it didn't matter, that she'd gotten over Ben once, and she could do it again, but it wasn't working. And now it hit her, in the middle of an op, in front of Auggie, of all people. She yearned for the privacy of her home, her bed, where she could crawl between the sheets and get Ben out of her system, once and for all. She clasped her hands over her face, trying to hold it in, taking a deep breath.

She felt Auggie's hands move from her chair arms to her shoulders, and she tried to shrug away from him, saying to just give her a minute, but he was having none of that. Gentle, but insistent pressure pulled her forward out of her chair and over to him. In a few seconds, she found herself cradled in his lap like a toddler. Given the confines of the van and the limited space, it was kind of awkward, but Auggie's strong arms enveloped her, and she gave herself up to his embrace.

Auggie alternated shushing her and rubbing his hand up and down her back with soothing strokes. He'd personally never met Ben Mercer, but if he ever did, he made a promise to himself to beat to a pulp the man who reduced his Annie to the state she was in now.

After a minute, after the initial ball of sadness had subsided, Annie dropped her hands from her face and opened her eyes, wiping the tears from her cheeks. A new feeling, that of embarrassment, came over her as she realized what she'd done – what he'd done. Her Auggie, her battle-torn soldier, was cradling her in his arms like a baby.

Clearing her throat, she moved to sit up, but wobbled a bit as their weight shifted on the wheeled chair. Auggie's arm stayed around her back so she wouldn't fall, and she turned a bit to gain her footing and made her way back to her own chair.

"Thanks," she whispered as she settled down into her chair, grabbing one of her lunch napkins to clean her teary face and eyes.

"No problem. I'm sorry for bringing it up," Auggie said. "I didn't know –"

"I know, Auggie. I know. For whatever reason, he's gone. I've got to move on."

"If I knew more, I'd tell you, you know that, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, Auggie, I know."

Chapter 3

Annie sat in her chair quietly, headphones that matched Auggie's close around her ears. He'd pinpointed a couple of audio signals, and they were both listening to it now.

Over the past few hours, Annie had filled a notebook page with details from a couple of phone calls they'd been able to monitor. Even the minutest of details could offer clues, and along with Auggie's audio recordings, Annie hoped it'd provide enough evidence to warrant further investigation.

After all, she thought, that's what they were there for. She tried to tell herself that, but still thought she'd be better served out in the field. Not that she'd go against Joan's orders and even dare to leave the van or go off on her own again. She'd been late meeting Auggie at the van that morning because Joan had cornered her and more or less threatened to give her a stack of newspapers double the size of her initial offering if she blew this assignment.

A click in her headphones signalled the end of another phone conversation, and she took her headphones off and sat them on the table in front of her. As she straightened up, her back protested, as the hours hunched over in one position tightened up across her shoulders.

Standing, she grabbed onto a bar that ran the length of the van and stretched. "Oh, Jesus, that feels good," she moaned as her muscles eased back to life.

Auggie's mouth literally fell open at her words. "What are you doing?"

"Mm, stretching," Annie said, adjusting her grip and continuing her impromptu yoga workout.

Her moans, groans, and the sound of shifting fabric in the small space had Auggie trying to picture exactly what she was doing, and he had to clench his hands into fists to stop from reaching over to find out himself.

Instead, he put his palms together and placed them under his chin, "Oh, Dear Lord, I haven't asked you for much recently, just give me back my sight for five minutes, please."

Annie froze in her movements, peeking under her arm to Auggie, whose eyes were squinted shut. He looked as if he were praying, his lips moving silently. Then he opened his eyes and turned his head in her direction.

"Damn."

"Auggie!"

Laughing, he slid his headphones off and let them clatter onto the desk. "Hey, a boy can dream, can't he?"

Annie let go of the frame and adjusted her clothing that had twisted around her. "A boy, maybe, but you're an adult, so no funny business."

"You take the fun out of everything, Annie Walker."

"What? I'm fun!"

Auggie cocked an eyebrow at her, "Whatever you say."

"I am."

He merely shook his head, and Annie sat back down in her chair. "I know I haven't been the best undercover partner today, but - I don't know, I'm just not used to this, sitting in one place for so long."

"Welcome to my world."

"How do you do it, then?"

Auggie turned in his chair to her, "Seriously?"

"Yeah. We've got nothing but time. Talk to me."

"First off, you do know there's an eventual end game to all this. It's easier to get through the dark tunnel when you know there's always a light at the end of it."

Annie nodded. The first handful of weeks at the Farm, they'd drilled that into them. She'd thought it odd at first, 'cause wasn't that why they all signed up in the first place?

Auggie continued, "Then you do whatever you have to to reach that light."

When he didn't say anything else, Annie said, "That's it?"

"In a nutshell. Why? Did you expect something deeper?"

Maybe, Annie thought. "You know what, forget about what you think I should do. What do you do?"

"What do I do - what?"

"What do you do when you're sitting here today, for hours, waiting for someone to say something?" Annie asked. "Or last week, when we heard those sounds? All you did was sit there and tell me to wait."

Auggie took a deep breath. The pleading in her voice pretty much did him in. "You think I don't want to jump out of here, guns blazing, and get all the bad guys and throw them in jail? I do. And years ago, I did. I would have, without a moment's notice."

"How'd you get over it, then?" Annie asked. Auggie didn't answer, only tilted his head to her. The look on his face spoke of a man with a lot of history and a past that still weighed on his mind. "Tikrit?"

"Partly. But it'd started before then. Hell, I've probably been like that all my life, jumping into situations without thinking first."

At this, Annie colored a little, as it seemed he was describing her.

"It's mostly 'cause I was always trying to outdo my brothers, who always seemed to be bigger, stronger and faster than me. When you're the runt of the litter, it's hard to keep up with the big boys."

Annie scoffed at this.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, it's just hard to imagine you as a runt. But please, continue."

"But I did have one advantage over them. I was smarter, and I learned how to use that to my advantage. It's hard to get beat up when you're never close enough to get hit."

Auggie paused, caught up in his memories of the past. He grabbed his bottle of water and took a drink. He also took the time to wonder how he could spin his colored past into a scenario that would help Annie. After a few seconds, he set his bottle down and turned back to her.

"Maybe it's because of my Army training. It's near impossible to complain about sitting still for a few hours, when sometimes that's the only rest you've gotten for two days."

Annie smiled, "So you're saying I should enlist?"

"Perhaps. You'd make a kick ass soldier, Annie Walker."

She laughed at the thought, picturing herself in BDUs covered in dust, riding atop a humvee through the desert. "Maybe I would have."

"You're doing fine, Annie. How many more times do I have to say it before you believe that?"

"I believe you, I just wish Joan believed it."

"Who are you looking to impress?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's a simple question. Who are you looking to impress? Joan? Arthur? Jai?"

Annie scoffed at his last suggestion. "Jai's the last person I'd care about impressing."

Auggie nodded, cataloging that little bit of information. "Then it is the Campbells. That's an insurmountable obstacle."

"They're our bosses, Auggie."

"And all they want is for their employees to do their job and come back alive. It's like any other job, Annie. You come to work, do your tasks, then go home. Whether or not you did a good job is up to you."

Annie smiled, leaning back in her chair. "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Know exactly what to say."

Auggie shrugged, "Let's just say I was given the same advice back when I was a rookie and leave it at that."

"No, come on, Auggie," Annie said, scooting closer to him. "You always do that. You make me feel better, then you shrug it off like it's no big deal."

"I dunno. I'd just like to see you do well here. You've got potential."

"Hmm. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were assigned by Joan to make sure I stay on the straight and narrow."

"You think I'm playing you?" Auggie asked.

"Sure seems like it," Annie said, smiling and laughing a bit to herself at the ridiculousness of the thought.

Unfortunately, Auggie didn't see the glint of mirth in her eyes or her smile, and he leaned toward her, serious and without a touch of humor in his voice. "You really think everything, all this, is because I was forced to? That I'm pretending to be your friend? To watch over you, protecting you, saving you from yourself, you think that's all a game?"

"Auggie, I –"

"Don't 'Auggie' me, Annie. I can't believe you'd think I'm anything like Jai, who as both know by now, was on a game to play you, to befriend you. I'm surprised he didn't try to sleep with you."

"Auggie!"

Shaking his head, Auggie pushed his chair a few inches away from her, dropping his head. "Jesus, Annie."

"Auggie, I –"

He still shook his head at her, his eyes lowered so she couldn't read his emotions. His words echoed through her head, and she sat there stunned. "How could you think that?" she asked, the words coming out in a strangled whisper. "How could you possibly think that? Auggie, you've been –"

She raised her hands in exasperation. "God, Auggie. You've been the only one I've been able to trust, in all this time. It'd be nice to have some of that trust in return."

"I do trust you, Annie."

He still hadn't raised his head to look at her, and his hands twisted together. She stood and walked over to him, kneeling before him and placing her hands on his. He resisted at first, but she squeezed and pulled gently until they parted, and she clasped her hands with his. She waited until he raised his head so she could look into his face.

"I don't think you were tasked by Joan to become my friend. I think – no, I know everything you've done for me you've done because you've wanted to," Annie said, speaking clearly enough that none of her words were in danger of being misinterpreted. "I'm not used to that, Auggie. No one's ever stood up for me the way you have. I guess it's just hard for me to see that."

The light in his eyes softened, and Annie's breath caught in her throat. She really couldn't imagine what her time in the CIA would have been like had she not had Auggie to help her along the way, and just the thought of him not realizing that hurt her deeply.

Auggie wanted to believe what she was saying, and he almost felt embarrassed at his reaction. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. In our line of work, sometimes we forget who our true friends are."

Auggie's lips twisted into a half-smirk. He released one of her hands and raised it, catching her jaw, where he slid a finger down from her ear to her chin. "Now who's giving the pep talks?"

"We're in this together, Auggie. Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me."

"Who said I wouldn't like being stuck with you?" he teased, his finger tucking itself under her chin.

The tension in the small space shifted slightly, as Annie's eyes looked deep into his, and his fingers continued to trace her jawline. No sound came but their breaths as the silence grew between them. A silence that spoke volumes and would have extended but for the reason they were there in the first place.

A sudden crackle filled the van. Auggie heard it first, and when it came again, he recognized the sound. "Guess our marks have decided to make another call," he said, clearing his throat and dropping his hand from her face.

Annie nodded reluctantly and stood, making her way back to her desk and picking up her headphones.

Chapter 4

"Auggie, are you listening?" Annie asked, tapping his arm as he seemed to be zoned out, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. After spending two days at their first destination, they were now parked in an alley by the second address on their list.

"Of course I am," Auggie replied, not moving. "I only listen to Mingus when I'm in the office. Why?"

"I can't make out what's going on," Annie said, pressing the headphones closer to her ears. "I think someone's in trouble."

Auggie shook his head, "Annie, it's only the second day, come on."

"I'm not kidding, Auggie. You've got better hearing than me," she said, tugging on his arm until he sat up straighter in his chair. "Listen. Do you catch that? It sounds like a woman, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Auggie said, concentrating.

"Turn it up," Annie said, reaching for the sound board in front of him. Auggie pushed her fingers away.

"There's too much interference," he explained. "If I turn it up, we'll get more static."

"Fine, then just listen!" Annie said, exasperated.

Auggie focused all his efforts on the muffled sounds playing through both of their headsets. Not quite a conversation, but he could clearly hear a woman's voice. After a minute, his eyes widen. "Uhh, Annie -"

"It's a woman's voice, right?" she asked. "I swear, I heard her scream."

"Yeah, but Annie –" Auggie tried to explain to her what he believed the noises to be, but he was suddenly pulled into a déjà vu when he heard her jump up.

"I'm going in –"

"No, don't."

Annie's mode of escape wasn't exactly as it was last week, as her way is clear through to the front of the van and away from Auggie. Auggie's quicker, though, and his arm reached out to grab her. He caught her forearm, and the sudden movement startled Annie, causing her to lunge backward, nearly off her feet.

"Auggie!" she yelled, grabbing the bar above her head to keep from landing in his lap. After last week's awkward fumble and yesterday's crying jag, she figured she'd spent enough time in Auggie's arms for now.

As she tugged at his grip on her arm, he pulled back. Clearly having the strength to win this grappling match, Annie stumbled the couple of feet back to him.

"What are you doing?" Annie asked. "I have to go save her."

"No, you don't," he said, not relinquishing his grip on her arm. "Listen to me, please."

The tone in his voice made her stop, if nothing else. She'd never heard him speak that forcefully to her. She turned to him and saw the pleading in his eyes. Taking the few steps back to him, she said, "Okay, I'm listening. What do you want to tell me?"

"No, don't listen to me. Listen," he says, holding her headphones up to her.

Annie sat back down in her chair and scooted toward him, placing the headphones back over her ears. The same noises, if a bit more intense, could be heard through the static of the pilfered audio feed.

"Does that sound like a woman in trouble?" Auggie asked, gently.

"Umm –" Annie said, closing her eyes to concentrate. If she concentrated on the human sound and not the feedback, she could. Then, a clearer voice, a shout, an epithet, a man's name.

"Oh, God," Annie groaned.

"Actually, I think it's Spanish, right?" Auggie said. "Mio Dios? That's Spanish for My God, right? And she's crying out –"

"Yeah, okay, Auggie, I got it," Annie said, slipping the headphones off her head and burying her face in her hands as her cheeks turned five shades of red. She could still hear the faint sounds of the couple, though, so she said, "Could you please turn that off?"

Auggie had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing, but he did as she asked and switched the speakers off. He pulled the headphones off of his ears, letting them lay around his neck. As the silence filled the van, he thought about what to say to ease the tension of the situation. Annie hadn't said anything yet, and he wasn't sure if a joke at this moment would be welcome.

Annie concentrated on breathing to quell her embarrassment and after about a minute felt her face grow cooler. She couldn't believe that she was about to bust into the apartment of a couple having sex. If she had thought crashing a party was difficult to explain, she knew she'd have to hand in her resignation if Auggie hadn't stopped her this time.

Imagining the look on Joan's face caused a giggle to erupt in her throat, all the same, though. And then, as she imagined Jai's face, and Arthur's, the giggle turned into an all-out laugh that was slightly muffled by her hands still buried over her face.

Auggie couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. "Come on, Annie, it's a mistake. We all make them once in a while."

"I know," Annie choked out.

"I won't tell anyone."

"I know that, too," Annie said, her voice strangled by a fresh stream of giggles as she imagined Auggie explaining to Joan how he, too, had thought the screams for help were real and not the shouts of a woman in the throes of passion.

"Then why are you crying?"

Annie's hands dropped from her face, and she looked over at Auggie. He was leaning towards her with such a look of compassion that she immediately sobered up. "I'm not crying, Auggie. I was laughing. I mean, could you imagine trying to explain that to Joan?"

Auggie smiled, "Me? You'd really have me explain how you were going to – you know."

"Well, you are my handler," Annie remined him.

"No freakin' way, Miss Walker."

"Aww, come on, Auggie," she teased.

Auggie shook his head, "You can whine all you want. There's no way I could tell Joan anything like that with a straight face."

"Neither could I," Annie said. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For holding me back, of course. I guess I really am on edge."

Hearing the self-depracating tone of her voice, Auggie reached out and laid his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Annie. You're doing fine."

"With you by my side, I will be."

Chapter 5

"So, Auggie, what'd you bring today?"

"Me? I thought you were in charge of the snacks."

"No, I brought the food yesterday," Annie reminded him as they settled into the back of the van. "I know you remember, 'cause you ate the entire bag of Cheetos."

Auggie smirked, then lifted up his messenger bag that he'd stashed under the desk. "Here, help yourself," he said, passing over the bulging bag to her.

Annie frowned, biting back a comment about hoarding food from him. She settled the bag on her lap and unzipped it. The frown deepened until it formed into a full-out moan. "Auggie, what is all this?"

"My stash. Why?"

"Uck," Annie said, throwing her hand in the bag and moving around the various Powerbars and Granola bars and rice cakes, hoping something in the chocolate category was hidden on the bottom. Not finding anything else, she zipped it bag up and thrust it at him. "You call that snacks?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with it?" Auggie asked as the bag dropped into his lap.

"We're stuck in here for days, on stakeout, doing surveillance. We're not training for a marathon."

"Everything in this bag has enough nutrients to provide energy and sustenance for an entire day," Auggie explained.

"Everything in that bag is tasteless and bland and capable of breaking teeth when bitten into," Annie retorted.

"There's nothing wrong with eating healthy, Annie," Auggie said, dropping the bag back onto the floor where he'd stashed it before. He settled into setting up the equipment and scanning for frequencies. One particular strong one came through, and he began marking down the numbers.

A few minutes later, a crackling and muffled sound infiltrated through his headphones, and he turned down the sound, trying to pinpoint it. Yep, he thought, it was nowhere on the surveillance audio. It was inside the van. To his left, to be more precise. He dropped the headphones down to his neck and turned to Annie.

"What are you doing?"

"Eating my lunch."

"It's 10am."

Annie scoffed, "I only had coffee this morning. I'm hungry, and your idea of snacks nauseates me."

"Well, your brand of lunch isn't all that appetizing, either," Auggie said, wrinkling his nose. "What is that?"

"Hummus and flatbread," Annie said, popping another piece in her mouth. "You should try it. It's 'healthy,' according to the container."

"I know it's healthy," Auggie replied. "But I'm smelling garlic, lots of it."

"Yeah, that's probably because it's garlic hummus," Annie said, grabbing her bottle of water and taking a drink. He still looked at her with a scowl on his face, and she wondered what his problem was. "Don't worry, I won't make you eat it."

"Gee, thanks," Auggie said. "But now anything I eat will be tainted by the smell of garlic that's now filled the van."

"Why don't you just sniff one of your rice cakes and get back to work?" Annie said.

"I will, but please keep the crinkling of plastic and paper down. I can hear it through the headphones."

Annie fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him, realizing it'd be rude and rather juvenile of her to do so. Still, though, she packed up the remains of her lunch and put it away. Her appetite now dampened, she grabbed her own headphones and notepad and settled in for some surveillance.

A couple of hours later, they were listening intently as the pilfered phone conversations and the talk of passerbys escalated into a drug bust, with police presence, sirens, and yelling bad guys. Auggie tuned into the police band, and through it, both he and Annie were able to get some names that they added to their notes.

"Oh, crap, Auggie, did you hear that?"

Auggie nodded and swallowed, "Yep, they've spotted our van."

"Do you think they're going to –"

"I don't think," Auggie said, quickly pulling off his headphones, "I know, they're heading this way."

"What do we do?" Annie said, removing her own headphones.

Auggie thought quickly, "Remember those scenarios we thought up in case we were caught?"

"Yeah."

"Scenario number one, let's go."

"But –" Annie started, but Auggie was out of his seat and headed to the front of the van, grabbing her hand along the way and pulling her with him. He dropped into the passenger seat, and as soon as Annie got in the driver's seat, he reached behind them and slid shut the door, concealing their equipment from prying eyes.

"Check the mirrors, how close are they?" Auggie asked.

Annie glanced into the side mirrors and saw one uniformed cop walking down the sidewalk toward them. "One guy in uniform, about 20 feet away."

"Okay, you remember scenario one, right?"

"Yeah, but Auggie –"

"What, Annie? He's getting closer, right?" Auggie asked, exasperation evident in his voice. When she didn't reply, he reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. The two bucket seats had about a foot in between them to allow access to the back, but it wasn't so much space that he had to lean too far.

Annie knew scenario one. Hell, she knew all five scenarios Auggie had drilled into her regarding what to do should they get caught in the van, outside the van, one of them out, both of them out. She memorized them, but she'd never imagined they'd have to put them into practice. Now, though, scenario number one, "what to do if they get caught inside the van," was coming to fruition.

A quick glance to the side mirror over Auggie's shoulder showed the cop had cleared the back of the van and was only a few steps away from peering into the window. "He's almost here," she whispered.

"Then we better make this good," Auggie replied, pulling her closer and planting his lips on her. He had the forethought to keep his mouth closed to keep the situation as professional as possible, but still wrapped both his arms around her, his fingers grasping into her hair and shoulder.

Annie, for her part, whimpered a bit as Auggie's lips touched hers, and he pulled her further into the space between their seats. Before she fell off balance, she threw her arms around his shoulders, her fingers grabbing into his shirt. For a blind man, she thought quickly, Auggie had no problem finding her mouth, and neither was his movements awkward as he took the lead in their pretend makeout.

It's just a few more seconds, Auggie thought. A few more seconds, then the cop should be knocking at the window. The knock never came as the seconds ticked by, and he continued kissing Annie. Damn, he thought. Annie might smell sweeter than any woman he'd ever met, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of her in his arms. Sessions in the gym and inadvertent hugs aside, this was different. This time, Annie's arms were around him, and his around her. With a soft groan, he slid his lips off of hers and trailed kisses down her jaw to her neck, where he inhaled needed oxygen into his lungs.

Annie held him to her, her eyes shut as she simultaneously panted and then inhaled quickly as his nose and mouth lit onto a sensitive patch of skin below her ear.

A tap-tap-tap snapped her eyes open, and she found herself looking into the face of a scowling police officer. She froze, suddenly remembering why she was there and what she was supposed to be doing. Her training kicked in, and she said, "Honey, stop."

"Mm, what?"

Annie pinched his arm to stop him kissing her neck and said, "Stop, there's a cop at the window."

Auggie leaned a few inches away from her, and Annie leaned over to roll the window down. "Can we help you, officer?"

"What are you two doing here?"

Annie giggled, "Nothing."

Shaking his head, the cop motioned down the street, "Get out of here. You're in the middle of an active crime scene."

"Oh, my God!" Annie breathed. "We didn't do anything, officer. We're just – well, you know, umm –"

"I didn't say you did anything. And if you don't get out of here, I'll ticket you for loitering."

Annie quickly sat back in her seat, pushing Auggie off of her. "Okay, okay. We're going." Turning over the engine and putting the van into gear, Annie pulled away, not saying anything until they were safely back out onto the highway.

When they were on the road back to DC, she glanced over at Auggie. "That was a close one, huh?"

Auggie nodded, "Yep."

"Good thing we had those scenarios figured out, or we would have been part of a crime scene."

"Yep."

"Are you going to say anything other than 'yep'?" Annie asked.

"Yep."

Annie looked over at him expectantly. "Well?"

"Next time you pack your lunch, try not to include anything with garlic in it."

"Huh?" Annie asked, then realizing what he was referring to, she blushed. "Oh, right. Was it very bad?"

Auggie tilted his head over to her, "No, Annie. Kissing you was – shall we say an eye-opener?"

"An eye-opener to what?" Annie asked.

Auggie smirked, but decided not to answer. Not just yet, he thought. They were only a few days into their stakeout assignment, and springing the fact that he suddenly wished they were "caught in the act" more often might frighten her away from what he pictured as a very promising future.

Chapter 6

"Already? How much coffee did you drink this morning?"

"Just because you can go 8 hours without having to visit the little boys' room doesn't mean the rest of us mere mortals have the same ability."

"Mere mortals? What am I, Superman?"

"Just give me the earwig, Auggie. We'll talk about your immortality when I get back."

"Try not to get caught. We wouldn't want to employ anymore scenarios, would we?" he said with a wink. When she didn't take the earwig he was holding out in his hand, he tilted his head to her. "Or would you?"

Annie snatched the earwig out of his hand and fitted it in her ear. He'd been teasing with her and toying with her ever since yesterday when they'd had to employ "Scenario number one" to outwit a cop. It'd been their first kiss, and Annie tried to tell herself it didn't matter. It wouldn't have, either, and she would have put it firmly in her past had Auggie not continued to throw it up in her face.

She refused to take the bait, though, and, as she fitted the bud into her ear, she said, "Give me a test?"

"Testing, testing, one, two, three," Auggie said into his mic.

"Huh, that's not very creative."

Auggie turned his head to her, "It's protocol."

"And who are you to stand on protocol?" Annie teased back. "Can you hear me back?"

"10-4, big mama."

"What?" Annie said, whirling back around to him.

"You said be creative," Auggie laughed.

Annie refused to retort, as arguing with Auggie usually ended with him upping the ante until she was either rolling on the floor with laughter or blushing to the roots of her hair with embarrassment.

"Be back in 15," Annie said, checking to make sure no one was looking her way before letting her out of the door.

"15?" she heard Auggie say into her earwig. "I thought you said it was just a bathroom break."

"Gotta stretch my legs," Annie murmured as she walked down the street to the convenience store she'd scouted out when they arrived. She went in and immediately headed for the women's restroom in the back. She thanked her luck that the store was one of a large chain, and the restrooms were relatively clean. Once she did her business, she took a paper towel out of the holder and wet it, wiping off her face and neck.

Stepping back out into the store, she purchased a bag of Cheetos and a coffee and headed to one of the few seats near the windows. She sipped her coffee, relishing the open air and relative quiet. She didn't think surveillance and stakeouts were supposed to be so taxing, but the intense concentration and small workspace were starting to get to her.

After five minutes, she figured she'd had enough of a break time and drank the rest of her coffee, hoping it didn't cause her to have another bathroom break in an hour or so. As she smiled at her own joke, she became aware of the person who just entered the store.

He looked more nervous than a convenience store customer should be, and Annie's keen senses took in the raised hood of his sweatshirt, the nondescript jeans and tattered shoes. He didn't see her behind him standing up from the small table, and for that, she was glad, for she saw his slow movements as he approached the cashier, his hand, which had been in the pocket of his hoodie, pulling out now, the silver butt of a gun visible to Annie.

"Give me all of your cash, now!"

Annie didn't bother thinking. The terrified cashier, a teenager with a high ponytail and too much makeup, shook visibly as the barrel of the handgun lighted six inches from her face. Her eyes were on the gun, or else she'd alert the robber of Annie's approach.

Her training kicked in as she quickly walked up behind the robber. Step one, grab the gun. Annie's strong hand covered the robber's, and she pulled up, angling the barrel away from the cashier.

Step two, grab the attacker. Thankfully, he wasn't that much taller than Annie, and was skinny, so she locked her free arm around his neck. The shock froze him for a couple of seconds, which was all Annie needed. A well-placed foot in front of him, a twist of both of their bodies, and the robber fell face first on the ground, Annie above him, her knee pressing into his back. The gun, as it hit the ground, clattered from both of their hands and skid a few feet away.

The cashier started screaming then, and Annie shouted above her screams for her to call the police. While the girl quickly grabbed up a phone under the counter, Annie heard another nose, that of Auggie in her ear.

"Annie! What the hell is going on?"

She didn't dare answer him, knowing only that she had to get out of there before the cops showed up. The bell above the door rang, and she looked up to see two men walk in, laughing and joking with each other until they saw her.

"Help me, please," Annie said, putting fright and terror into her voice so they'd come to her rescue.

"Sure thing, little girl," the burliest one said. "What happened?"

"He was going to rob me!" cried the cashier behind the counter. "He had a gun, and he pointed it at me, and –" Her voice trailed off as sobs came now.

"I've got this now, honey," the burly man said, taking up a position behind the robber, who'd started to squirm beneath them. As the man's stronger leg came down on his back, and his meaty hands encased his arms, the robber ceased protesting.

Annie stood up and began to slowly back away. She could still hear Auggie yelling at her in the earwig, but she didn't risk answering him now. The other man who'd come in had maneuvered his way behind the counter and was consoling the teenager. The burly man had his hands full keeping the robber on the ground. No one saw her leave.

As she took a quick circuitous route back to the van, making sure no one was following her or looking for her, and let herself into the van. "Auggie, I'm here. I'm all right. I got you some Cheetos," she said, holding up the bag she'd snatched up from the table before leaving.

Before she got two steps in after shutting the door, Auggie was on her. Her arms were pinned to her sides as he caught her up in a bear hug. "Jesus, when you didn't answer me, I wasn't sure what to think."

"I'm okay, Auggie," Annie said. "I had to make sure I got out of there without anyone suspecting anything."

"What the hell happened?"

"I'll tell you if you let me go," Annie said. He still gripped her tight. "Auggie, I can't breathe."

Releasing her a little, Auggie placed his hands on her shoulders. "What the hell happened?" he repeated. "I heard –"

"A robbery, yes. I took the assailant down, saved a frightened little teenager, and left the robber in the hands of two guys who looked like they just came in from a construction site," Annie said.

Auggie shook his head at her, "We're supposed to be undercover, Annie. What have I told you about running out to save the world?"

"What was I supposed to do, Auggie?" Annie asked, "Let that teenager get shot, or worse, let myself get shot, just 'cause I'm supposed to be undercover?"

"What if you had gotten shot, have you ever thought of that?" he said harshly, shaking her shoulders a little.

"Yes, I did," Annie said. "What have you got against me doing my job?"

"Nothing!" Auggie fairly shouted.

"Then why are you yelling at me?" Annie asked, suddenly a bit frightened by his demeanor.

The soft tone of her voice, in answer to his shouting, sobered Auggie up a bit, and he leaned back a few inches, realizing how close he'd come to losing his temper completely. His hands still clenched her shoulders, and he relaxed them, soothing the nearly bruised skin. "I'm sorry for yelling, but Annie, all I heard was a man shouting, then a woman screaming, and you calling for help. I –"

Annie raised her hand to his face, placing it on his cheek. "The man shouting was the robber. The woman screaming was the cashier, and I called for two guys who entered to help me. That's all, Auggie."

"So you didn't get hurt?"

"Nope. Matter of fact, I took that guy down pretty well, considering he was armed, and I wasn't."

He still didn't look convinced, and Annie raised her other hand to his cheek, raising his face so she looked directly in his eyes. "I'm fine, Auggie. I'm sorry you had to hear all that without knowing what was going on, but believe me, I knew what I was doing."

She kept her hands on his face until the anger left his eyes, and he nodded. "Thank you for worrying about me, though. That's really sweet of you," she teased.

Auggie blinked, "I'll always worry about you, Annie."

"I know."

She knew she should drop her hands, let him go and get back to work, but they were standing so close, and Auggie's hands continued to knead into her shoulders, warming her skin. Her eyes, unheeding to what she should do, dropped down to his mouth, framed between her thumbs almost too perfectly. Before she knew it, she was leaning towards them, pushing up on her toes a bit to gain enough height to reach him.

Auggie had been standing there, his hands on her shoulders, the adrenaline that had been pumping through him for the last ten minutes beginning to settle. Annie, his Annie, was all right. He knew deep down that she was, that she would be, but it didn't stop him from worrying about her.

And the softness of her words and hands as they caressed his face told him that he really needed to learn to trust her more and not panic at every instance of danger. Now, though, another sensation swept through him as he felt her moving closer.

Her fingers tightened on his face just barely before he felt her breath mix with his. Then, a half a second later, her lips pressed against his. The kiss they'd shared yesterday was clinical, practiced, a ruse. In other words, it did not compare to what he was experiencing now.

His hands involuntarily clenched, pulling her a further step toward him. And, just as he was about to reciprocate, kiss her back, get a taste of what was promised yesterday, she ended it, pulling away and dropping her hands off his face.

"I'm fine, Auggie," Annie said, a bit shy and slightly embarrassed from her show of affection. "Now, do you think we should call this in to Joan, just in case my face pops up on the convenience store's surveillance tapes?" She stepped around him, his hands slipping from her shoulders as she moved.

She dropped into her chair, and after a minute, Auggie joined her at her side. "Don't forget your Cheetos," she said, dropping the bag on his lap.

Auggie, still a little unnerved from her kiss, took her cue to return back to normal. "Only you, Annie Walker, would take down an armed robber, get away clean, and still remember the snacks."

"You are going to share those with me this time, aren't you?"

"Next time, buy your own bag," Auggie said, popping open the plastic top and diving his hand inside. Another, smaller one joined his. "Hey!"

"A little courtesy to the woman who almost got shot, please," she said, pulling her hand back out, her bounty of cheesy goodness clenched in her fingers.

"About that, I guess you'd prefer it if I called Joan?" he said before popping a few pieces in his mouth.

"If you don't mind."

"I do mind, but if you pay me back with another kiss, we'll call it even," he said, picking up his Bluetooth headset.

Chapter 7

The heavy, sudden downpour echoed inside the van, reminding Annie of her childhood when she'd sit in the attic and listen to the rain on the metal roof of her grandmother's house.

The outside nose made it impossible to hear any audio surveillance, so she removed her headphones and sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, caught up in her reminiscences.

"Understood, Joan. We'll wait it out as long as we can."

Annie's reverie was broken by the clatter of Auggie's headphones dropping on the table in front of them. He, too, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"So what happens now?" Annie asked.

"What do you mean?" Auggie answered, keeping his eyes closed and lacing his fingers across his chest.

"Come on, Auggie. You've done this before. I haven't. It's raining, so we can't do audio surveillance. What's the SOP for a situation like this?"

"We stand down until the weather clears," Auggie said.

Annie sighed with exasperation, leaning forward on the desk and dropping her head in her arms.

Auggie shook his head at her not-too-subtle frustration. "Annie, it's been a week. Surely you've learned how to relax by now."

"I can relax," Annie said stubbornly.

"Doesn't sound like it. You do know Joan's going to debrief both of us when this is done, right?" he asked, dropping his hands off his chest and sitting back up.

"So?" Annie asked, raising her head to look at him. When he didn't reply and only gave her that look that usually sent the tech underlings scurrying for cover, her mouth dropped open. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?" Auggie shrugged.

"Why? I thought you were my friend," Annie said, knowing she sounded a bit petulant, but the inactivity was starting to wear on her nerves.

Auggie, however, refused to let her pout. "Seriously? You're playing that card?" he asked. "If I want to be your friend, I have to lie?"

"That's not what I said," Annie said, sitting up and turning in her chair towards him.

"Wasn't it?" Auggie countered.

Annie threw up her hands in frustration, "Auggie, come on. I'm trying here."

"I know you are, but Joan expects results, and if you complain at the mere thought of sitting still for two hours –"

"Okay, okay," Annie interrupted. "You're right. Teach me, then."

"Teach you?" Auggie asked slowly, with more than hint of laughter in his voice.

"Yes, teach me how to relax."

"Have you never been on a vacation?" he asked, chuckling.

"Do you remember the last time I went, to Niagara Falls?"

Auggie nodded, score one for Walker. "Other than that."

Annie blinked, thinking back. "Oh, well, let's see –" As her voice trailed off, she thought hard. The last time she really had any extended free time was back before she joined the CIA, when she went traveling around the world, and –

She shook her head to clear it of the memories of what happened on the beach of Sri Lanka. Then she heard Auggie. He was still chuckling at her, nearly giving way to a full-out laugh.

"Don't make fun of me," she said, swatting his arm. Then, as he tried to school his features into a serious face and failing miserably, she began to laugh, as well. "God, I am pathetic, aren't I?"

"No," Auggie said. "Just human."

"Huh, what does that make you, then?" she countered.

"I'm human, too, Annie," he said soberly. "Just a bit more experienced."

"See, that's what I'm talking about, your experience. You didn't come into the CIA knowing all this stuff. Somebody taught you. So, teach me."

Auggie shook his head, and Annie nearly let her frustration out in a primal scream at his stubbornness. Then she took a silent deep breath. Begging never worked with Auggie, she knew. Neither did pouting nor whining. A small smile played on her lips as a thought formed in her mind.

She knew he was a closet geek or nerd or whatever term was currently popular. Her Auggie, former soldier, CIA operative and all around master of nearly everything, had a thread of geek running through him, and she now saw her chance to play on it.

Nudging her chair across the few inches that separated them, until they were almost close enough for her to sit in his lap – again – she placed her hand on his bare forearm as it lay on the arm of his chair. His fingers twitched a little at the contact, and his eyebrows creased in question.

In her best Princess Leia pleading voice, Annie said, "Help me, August Anderson. You're my only hope."

At her words, Auggie's eybrows lifted, as did the corners of his mouth into a smile. His appreciation of Annie's ability to surprise him just doubled. "Annie?"

"Yes?" she answered.

He lifted his right hand and placed it on hers as it covered his forearm. "Did you just quote 'Star Wars' to me?"

"Yes."

He leaned further toward her, the smile never leaving his face. "Do you really think that'll make me change my mind?"

"Yes?"

The questioning answer sounded so hopeful, yet was filled with a playfulness that he loved about her. She knew him way too well. She always knew just what to say and how to say it to get what she wanted. He wondered, for a second, if he could turn the tables with some subtle machinations of his own.

Running his hand over hers until their fingers were nearly entwined, he leaned forward a couple more inches until he could tell she was just inches away. "I do know one tried and true way to relax," he said, making sure he put enough emphasis in his tone as to make her aware of his intent, but not so much that it'd scare her off.

Annie's breath caught in her throat as the air between them shifted from teasing and friendly to vaguely – no, make that downright – sexual. She looked deep in his eyes to get her answers, but soon realized that was a mistake.

Though the unfairness of the world had taken his ability to see through those chocolate brown circles, she could see into them. And what she saw made all of her playing and teasing and joking melt away.

He wanted her. His hooded gaze almost seemed to fall directly on her mouth, and she found herself licking her lips with unheeded anticipation. Twice this week she had felt his lips under hers, yet the feelings she had then – surprise the first time, sweetness the second – paled in comparison to the thrill of desire his nearness and touch did to her now.

Auggie noted she didn't pull away. No, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Her fingers twitched under his subtly. The warmth radiating on his arm increased slightly. And her breath started coming faster, the small puffs warming the air between them.

His chance had come. It'd been building ever since they'd had to employ "scenario number one" when their lips were pressed against one another's for those precious few seconds. Then when she came back from that convenience store robbery, and he'd been so afraid for her safety. She'd kissed him then. So, who was going to make the first move this time?

Were they trading? Should he make the first move? Should he wait for her? He leaned forward slightly, gauging her reaction. Annie, though, seemed to have the same idea as he felt her cheek brush against his. He breathed a sigh, murmuring her name as he angled his face until he found what he sought.

The caress of his mouth over hers – or hers over his, however you looked at it – elicited a sigh out of Annie that traveled through her slightly parted lips. The seduction traveled both ways as she allowed him to kiss her once, twice, and then as she felt the hesitant touch of his tongue against the inside of her lip, her free hand reached out and grasped his neck, pulling him further towards her, deepening the kiss.

The awkwardness of the angles where they sat had them shifting, releasing each other's hands to reach for each other. Annie wove both hands around his neck, weaving her fingers through his hair as it curled around his collar. Auggie's hands cupped her jaw, lifting her so slowly out of her chair that she scarcely noticed it until she found herself, once again, on his lap.

The movement caused their angles to change, and Annie pressed him back in his seat. The teasing, flirting, and close quarters of the past week had come to a head, and she couldn't get enough of him. She was almost completely out of breath and broke away, panting heavily. Auggie's hands wound around her back, holding her close to him in his muscled embrace as his lips trailed across her jaw and down the line of her throat.

The heavy rain beat against the roof of the van, enveloping them in their own world. No other sounds were discernible, save the squeaking of the chair they both now occupied and the coupled panting of their breaths.

Annie gripped her fingers into his hair and pulled his lips back up to hers. Nothing could stop what was happening between them now, she thought. Nothing but –

CRACK! BOOM!

Annie screamed into Auggie's mouth, and his arms tightened painfully around her as the too-near crack of lightning broke their bubble. Another one joined it, and Annie felt the van shake with its force.

"Auggie?" she whispered, holding him close to her as her heartbeat thundered in her chest.

Auggie gripped her to him once more before releasing her, allowing her to sit back in her chair. He picked up his Bluetooth and fit it to his ear. "I'm calling HQ."

"Hey, Auggie, I was about to call you. You've got a severe thunderstorm warning in your area."

"Yeah, got that much, Barber," Auggie growled. "How big is it? Do we need to abort today?"

"Auggie, it's Joan. Why don't you and Annie head into HQ? Storms are going to be moving through all day."

"Understood."

Auggie removed his Bluetooth device and turned to Annie who sat silent in the chair next to him. "We've been ordered back to headquarters," he said quietly.

"Okay," Annie said, more than a little disappointed at the intrusion.

"You all right to drive?" he asked, noting her soft tone.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said. "It's just –" her voice trailed off.

Auggie smiled, "Yeah, same here." He held his hand out to her, and she entwined her fingers with his. "Guess we have some things to think about, huh?"

"Yeah. Today's Friday, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"Allen's for Happy Hour?"

Auggie squeezed her fingers before standing up, pulling her with him. "No need to get me drunk, Miss Walker."

"I wasn't planning to, Mr. Anderson," Annie countered, taking a step nearer as their bodies brushed up against one another. "But something's happening here, and I'd really like it to continue beyond this mission. What about you?"

"I think I'll never be able to listen to the sound of rain quite the same again," he said, dropping a kiss onto her parted lips before walking them both to the front of the van.

Chapter 8

Annie drove the van back into the underground garage, regrettably having to let go of Auggie's hand as a few support people waved her in and pointed to the parking spot. She shifted the van into park.

"Guess we have to get out now," she said, glancing back into the interior where, just an hour ago, they were both sitting in the metal rollaway chair, making out like teenagers.

"Guess so," Auggie replied, though he made no effort to move, either. In the past five days, they'd grown closer, so much closer than he'd ever dreamed, and now – now that dream was coming to an end, and once they stepped out of the van's doors, reality would intrude again.

Annie saw the forlorn look on his face, the almost regretful tone in his voice. "Hey, this isn't the end, you know?"

"I know, it's just – things seemed so much simpler, easier this past week."

"Kind of like a little vacation," Annie said.

"The best kind of vacation, all expenses paid."

"Not entirely true. I spent about 50 bucks keeping you stocked in Cheetos," Annie teased.

"You ate some, too."

Annie chuckled and reached for him, sliding her fingers along his cheek until he turned towards her. "Nothing's going to change, Auggie."

"Isn't it?" he whispered, closing his eyes as her soft fingers traced his cheekbone and jaw.

"You may not know this about me, but as loyal as I am as a friend, I'm twice as committed to those I choose to engage in a relationship with."

The corners of Auggie's mouth tilted up at her choice of words. "Oh, really?"

"It's in my file," Annie said matter-of-factly. Anything else she was planning to say was cut off as the support team opened up the back door of the van to retrieve the equipment. Annie dropped her hand from Auggie's face and hurriedly undid her seatbelt and got out of the car.

She met Auggie around the other side and took his elbow to lead him back to the department.

Auggie opened the glass door, allowing her to enter before him, and once they were in the sanctuary of the DPD again, they both felt the subtle change from friendly and flirtatious to friendly and professional.

Joan greeted them first, "Other than being caught in a storm today, I take it this week has been productive?"

"Absolutely."

"Without a doubt."

Joan's eyes flitted between the two people standing in front of her, noting the subtle difference in the air around them. Auggie hid it better, but Annie had yet to master the art of deception fully. "Glad to hear it. Annie, you've got this afternoon free. Start building up information on the names you and Auggie were able to get on the surveillance. Remember, we need enough incriminating evidence to get actual, permanent surveillance set up at those places. Auggie, a word?"

Joan started walking toward her office, and with a squeeze of his elbow, Annie let him go, as he followed their boss. With a small sigh, she walked over to her desk.

Her immediate neighbor was already at his desk, typing away on his computer. "Hey, Jai."

"Annie, good to see you."

"Good to see you, too," Annie said, sitting down. Several stacks of files and papers were already there, the information gleaned from their four days of stakeout duty. After the wonderful morning she had, though, she couldn't bear the thought right now of paperwork. Instead, she concentrated on Jai, who sat across from her, typing away as if his life depended on it.

"Something on your mind, Annie?"

"Why do you say that?"

"You're staring at me," Jai said, never lifting his eyes from the computer screen.

"Well, I was just wondering something."

"And what would that be?"

"Why you're still here," Annie said bluntly.

Jai scoffed, "You're not the only one."

"'Cause this was a temporary assignment, right? Get Ben back."

"Yes."

Annie was getting a bit frustrated with his noncommital answers. "So why are you still here?"

"Arthur thought it best if I stayed in the DPD for a while," Jai said with a frown.

Annie nodded, though she wasn't sure of Arthur's motivations, either. Trying to lighten the mood, she said, "Well, I'm not sure what Arthur's trying to prove. I swear, I don't have any other boyfriends you need to track down."

Jai smiled then and finally looked over at her. "You sure about that?"

"Positive."

"How about now?" he asked, leaning his elbows on his desk as he arched an eyebrow at her.

"How about now, what?" Annie hedged.

Jai rolled his eyes, "You know what, I don't do subtlety well. Let me just put it out there. It's the end of the week. You've been putting in some long hours on tedious surveillance cooped up in a van. Tonight, I'm going to treat you to dinner."

Annie blinked once. "Oh," she said, "Jai, wow, I mean –"

"See, I knew the direct approach was the best way to get through to you. All these months, I'd been dancing around the subject, but nothing's stopping us now, so how about it?"

"Jai, I can't," Annie said.

"'Can't'? What kind of an answer is that?" he asked with a laugh.

"The only one I can give right now. I can't go out with you tonight," Annie said.

"Why not?" Jai said, a touch of exasperation evident in his voice.

"Because she's going out with me," Auggie said, approaching them.

Annie looked up to see Auggie standing by their desks, a satisfied smirk on his face. Her eyes flickered over to Jai, whose easygoing smile had dropped into a disbelieving open mouth. Seriously, Annie thought? She'd known both of these men for months now, thought of them both as good friends, and in the same day, they'd both made a play for her?

Truthfully, only one of them had a snowball's chance in Hades of making any progress, but really?

Standing, she walked over to Auggie, placing a hand on his shoulder, if anything to give a nonverbal cue of her choice. She turned to Jai, and with as gentle as a tone as she could muster, she said, "Thanks for the offer, Jai, but Auggie's right."

Jai's mouth shut with an audible click, and Annie felt a twinge of sorrow for the man. But what was she to do? He'd broken her trust with the mission-induced flirtation he'd engaged her in while the entire building was out searching for Ben.

"Think nothing of it," Jai said shortly before he stood and stalked out.

Annie nearly sagged against Auggie's arm. "Thanks for rescuing me like that."

"I didn't come down here to rescue you, though it seems my timing, as always, is impeccable. Your turn to debrief," he said.

Annie nodded, "Hope you didn't say anything bad about me."

"I said nothing but the truth, Annie. You're a damn good field agent, and if Joan's too stupid to realize that, she'll not only lose you, she'll lose me, too."

"Auggie, you don't mean that."

"Wherever you go, I go, Annie. We're a team, now more than ever," he said, whispering the last part. "Now, go, Joan's waiting."

XXX

"Annie, take a seat, please. This shouldn't take long."

Annie walked in, putting all the confidence she could into her walk and facial expression.

"You and Auggie were able to get a lot of information this past week. Good work."

"Thank you," Annie said honestly, knowing her boss wasn't one to just toss out compliments.

"And as I'm sure you know," she continued, placing her hands on the desk and looking Annie straight in the eye, "this week wasn't just about getting information on suspected terrorist cells."

Annie nodded.

"You needed to decompress, and I don't think anymore sequestration in a van is needed."

Annie nodded again, trying not to heave a sigh of relief, though that emotion was flowing through her in a big wave.

"Now that that is out of the way, I want to show you something," Joan said, turning her computer monitor around so that both she and Annie could see it. "I did count on Auggie to report back to me on your progress, but given his – protectiveness – of you, I wasn't sure I could count on his opinion alone."

"Joan, what –"

Holding up a finger to silence her, Joan pushed a couple of buttons on her keyboard, and a black-and-white image appeared on the monitor. Annie recognized the image as the interior of the surveillance van. The back of Auggie's head was visible, as was her own, as they sat at the desk, headphones over their ears.

Annie's mouth dropped open as she realized what Joan was showing her. "You – you were watching us? The entire time?"

"Annie. Annie! Breathe!" Joan nearly shouted. "I was keeping an eye on you, and believe me when I say that no one else has access to this footage. I installed the camera myself, and I am the only one who has access to it. After today, the footage will be destroyed."

"But – but –" Annie stammered, as memories of her and Auggie's time in there – her crying, them kissing and embracing – came flooding back to her. With horror evident in her eyes, she raised her gaze back to her boss. "Joan, I can explain, I –"

"No need to. I understand, Annie," Joan said sympathetically. "I know you and Auggie have a sort of bond, and it's specifically why I assigned him to go with you on this surveillance mission. I did not, of course, expect to see how deep that bond went, and believe me, I understand."

Annie nodded, feeling a bit placated, but still embarrassed that her and Auggie's intimate moment had been witnessed. "You – you're not going to punish us, are you?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, I know we're allowed to date our co-workers, but Auggie's my handler, wouldn't it create some – I don't know, friction or breach of protocol if we were to get involved?"

"No, I trust you to act professionally while on duty, which is one of the reasons I'm showing you this footage," Joan said. "Keep it civil while you're here, and we shouldn't have a problem. Understood?"

Annie nodded vigorously.

"Good. Now, for the rest of the afternoon, you can work on the information you've gathered this week, and then hand it over to the support team. They'll do the rest."

"Oh, okay," Annie said. "Then I guess my time in the van is over?"

"You seem disappointed," Joan remarked.

"Oh, I didn't mean –"

"Dismissed, Annie. And rest up this weekend. You're back in the field next week."

A burst of happiness bubbled up in Annie, and with a smile on her face, she left Joan's office in search of Auggie.

Chapter 9

"Auggie," Annie groaned, as he pulled her towards him. He leaned back against the passenger door of her car, and his grip pulled her body flush with his. The alcohol they'd both imbibed that night – Auggie more than her as she still had to drive – tipped them both a bit off balance, and Annie's hands gripped the hood of her car as Auggie assaulted with sensual precision her mouth and neck.

"Any reason we're at your place instead of mine?" he murmured into her ear, causing goosebumps to radiate the entire length of her body.

Annie let out a shuddering breath, "Simple. Because I like my bed better than yours."

"Hmm, we can test that theory out later."

"As soon as you get new sheets and blankets," Annie said, pressing her mouth to his. "I don't want to have the memory of seeing rumpled sheets and Liza's stockings on the floor when we make love there."

Auggie pulled away a bit. "Liza?"

Annie nodded. "Just, promise me you'll buy new sheets."

"It's done, Annie. I'll buy a whole new bed, furniture, hell, a new apartment if it'll mean you'd share it with me," he said sincerely.

"It's a deal. Now, do you think we could take this little display inside?"

Auggie nodded and released his grip, but Annie noted, not without running his large hands down around her hips and butt. She groaned and kissed him again. Her house seemed even further away, but she grabbed his arm and began walking them both down the pathway.

A creak and slam of a door startled them both, as did the sudden voice, "Annie, about time you got home. I had set aside dinner for you, but – oh, sorry, I didn't know you had company."

Annie turned to see Danielle, a bag of trash in her hand, headed toward the garbage can on the corner. "Hey, Danielle." Then, realizing she couldn't just secret Auggie into the guest house, she said, "You remember Auggie?"

Danielle peered closer in the dim light. "Oh, yes! You're the guy from the Smithsonian. Nice to meet you again."

"Yes, nice to meet you, too," Auggie said, forcing a friendly smile on his face. "How are the girls?"

"They're good. In bed now, of course."

Annie heard Danielle's polite conversation, but she knew her sister, and the looks she was shooting her way held the unasked question as to why her sister and the guy from the Smithsonian were heading in the middle of the night to her guest house.

"We'll see you in the morning, Danielle," Annie said, politely but firmly, turning Auggie back around.

She didn't say another word until she had her own door closed and locked with her and Auggie on the inside.

"Are we safe?"

Annie laughed, "Sorry about that. If we had stayed out there, she would have started with the questions, and right now, I don't want to answer any questions."

"Me, either," Auggie said, taking a step nearer to her. "Now, before we were interrupted, where were we? Ahh, yes, right about here," he said, grasping her by both shoulders and pulling her towards him. Once her body was pressed against his once again, he lowered his mouth to hers.

Her eyes fluttered shut at his lips caressed hers, and suddenly, they were in the back of the van again, where the rainstorm sheltered them from the world, and they were so caught up in their own passion and feeling, that nothing could have stopped them.

Something had then, a sudden crack of lightning and impending danger, but now? Now, the whole weekend lay open before them. Annie wound her arms around his neck, pulling his head down further toward her, wishing at that moment she'd worn her stilettos to put her height more on par with his. As it was, she was standing on tiptoe to reach him.

His roaming hands covered nearly every inch of her, from her shoulders down her back, around her waist and across her butt. Every caress lighting her on fire through her clothes.

"Bed," he mumbled against her lips. Annie nodded, and slipping back down to her heels, she walked them backwards through the home to her bed. Auggie never relinquished his hold on her, however, and once the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, his momentum caused her to stumble, and they both fell onto the mattress.

"Oof," Annie said as Auggie's weight fell full upon her. He began apologizing and moving to let go of her, but she shook her head no and instead wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and with a bit of maneuvering, her legs around his thighs.

Auggie laughed a bit at her eagerness and lowered his mouth to hers once again. Annie parted her lips for his probing tongue, and soon they were both out of breath. Her clothes felt suddenly stifling and hot, and she attempted to keep kissing Auggie while removing them, but soon relented and let go of him and rolled him on his back.

Auggie, apparently, had the same idea, and soon they were reaching for one another again.

Auggie's hands were everywhere at once, and Annie felt at once aroused and worshiped as he mapped and committed to memory every angle and curve of her body. She reciprocated as much as she could until suddenly it became almost too much.

"Auggie, please," she whispered. She felt him nod, and after a few moments where he fumbled for his pants and protection, they were finally meshed together as one.

"This is forever," Auggie said. "You do know that, right?"

"I never thought of anything else," Annie agreed. "You're mine now, August Anderson."

"As if I'd be anyone else's."

THE END


End file.
